New Year's Eve Appetizer Recipes

When thinking of New Year’s Eve parties, appetizers are the first things that come to mind. So many goodies to eat with fingers, so little time. Hope a few of the following recipes will make an appearance at your celebration.

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Charcuterie Board

Cheeses (Chose 3, 5, or 7, depending on party size):

Hard cheeses: Manchego, cheddar, Swiss, Gouda, Gruyere, Parmesan etc.

Soft cheese: brie, triple cream, goat cheese, Havarti, burrata, cream cheese with pepper jelly, or blue cheese or Gorgonzola

Meats: Cured Meats like prosciutto, salami, ham, chorizo, capicola, soppressata, or summer sausage

Savory accompaniments: Nuts: almonds, candied pecans, pistachio nuts, cashews, walnuts, macadamia nuts

Briny, pickled or marinated: olives, cocktail onions, cornichons, dill pickles, pepperoncini, olive tapenade on bruschetta

Savory Dips and spreads: Whole ground mustard, hummus, ranch, balsamic dip

Cold cut veggies

Sweet accompaniments, such as fresh fruit and berries: grapes, apples, pears, oranges, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries

Dried fruit: apricots, cherries, figs, pineapple, mango.

Sweet spreads: Fig butter, orange marmalade, blackberry jam, or other sweet spreads

Chocolate: a few pieces of quality dark chocolate or chocolate covered nuts

Crackers: Pita crackers, whole grain crackers, croccantini, or your favorite kind of crackers, toasted baguettes, or mini toast crackers

Choose your board, depending on your party size. Use multiple boards, if needed.

Start with the cheese: It anchors the board. Work in odd numbers, so, depending on the size of your party, choose 3, 5, or 7 types of cheeses to place around the board.

Fold and add the meats: For thin meat (like prosciutto) fold them in a light and airy ribbon.

Add savory and sweet accompaniments. Fill in some of the gaps with savory and sweet. Separate colors in a way that allows the brightest colors to stand out and place foods together that pair well together. For example, mustard, briny foods and nuts near salami and sopresseta, and sharp cheeses like Parmesan. Pair sweet accompaniments like fresh fruit, jams, and candied nuts, near the brie cheese or goat cheese. Cheddar cheese pairs well with savory and sweet.

Fill in extra space with crackers, and then any extra gaps with nuts or fruit.

Notes: Keep it simple and make it colorful! Add color through fruit, like bright red apples, green and red grapes, strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries.

Bacon-Ranch Cheese Ball

Total: 1 hr 50 min

Prep: 20 min

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

8 slices bacon

8 oz. cream cheese, cut into small pieces

8 oz. white cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)

2 T. sour cream

1 T. ranch seasoning (half of a 1-oz. packet)

5 scallions, white parts finely chopped and green parts sliced

Cooking spray

Crackers, for serving

Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat, turning, until crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Combine the cream cheese, cheddar, sour cream, ranch seasoning, scallion whites and 2 of the bacon slices in a food processor and process until well combined, about 30 seconds.

Chop the remaining 6 slices of bacon and mix with the scallion greens on a plate; spread it out. Scoop the cheese mixture onto the plate with a rubber spatula. Coat your hands with cooking spray and shape the cheese mixture into a ball. Roll and press the ball in the bacon-scallion mixture to coat.

Refrigerate the cheese ball for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Serve with crackers.

Cheeseburger Sliders

Total: 40 min

Prep: 10 min

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

1 - 16-oz. package dinner rolls

1 T. vegetable oil

1/2 yellow onion, peeled and chopped

1-1/4 lb. ground sirloin (90/10)

1-1/2 T. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 c. mayonnaise

2 T. ketchup

1 T. mustard

1 - 8-oz. bag shredded cheddar-jack cheese

1/2 c. dill pickle slices

2 T. olive oil

1 T. everything bagel seasoning

Preheat the broiler. Remove the rolls from the packaging in one piece. With a serrated knife, cut crosswise through all the rolls at once, to divide the top half from the bottom (keeping the sides of the rolls intact). Place both halves cut-side up on a sheet tray and broil for 2 minutes until lightly toasted. (If using slider rolls, separate the tops from the bottoms and place cut side up on the sheet tray, sides touching; broil as instructed). Set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes until just slightly softened. Add the ground sirloin and cook, breaking up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper, and stir well to combine. Cook until the beef is no longer pink and the liquid from the pan has almost fully evaporated, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat. 

Preheat the oven to 375˚. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard.

Spread the cut sides of the rolls with the mayonnaise mixture, then sprinkle with half of the cheese in an even layer. Layer the meat mixture over the cheese, then top with the remaining cheese and the pickles. Cover with the top half of the rolls.

Brush the tops of the rolls all over with olive oil and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cheese is melty and the tops of the rolls are golden and toasted. Pull sliders apart and serve warm.

Note: If you don’t have everything bagel seasoning, use sesame seeds instead or mix 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt into the olive oil before brushing on the rolls. 

Easy Queso Dip

Prep Time: 5 min.

Bake Time: 45 min.

Yield: 3 cups

12 oz. white American cheese

4 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded

2/3 c. half-and-half

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 jalapeño, chopped

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 - 4-oz. can green chilies, drained

Diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and sliced fresh jalapeño, to garnish

Stovetop method: Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and place a bowl inside the pot to create a double boiler. (The bowl should be big enough to rest above the rim of the pot without the bottom touching the water.) Add both cheeses, the half-and-half, garlic, jalapeño, and ground black pepper, then stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted, and the dip is creamy. Stir in the green chilies.

Slow cooker method: Combine both cheeses, the half-and-half, garlic, jalapeño, and ground black pepper in the base of a slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 50 minutes, stirring once half-way through. Stir in the green chilies. Transfer to a serving bowl or reduce the temperature of the slow cooker to warm and keep covered until ready to serve.

Top with diced tomatoes, cilantro, and sliced jalapeño. Serve immediately.

Note: If you are using sliced white American cheese from the deli, stack the slices about 1/2-inch high, then dice to create the perfect size for quick melting.

Pull-Apart Pigs in a Blanket

Prep Time: 20 min.

Bake Time: 1 hr 15 min.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

6 T. salted butter

2 T. honey mustard, plus more for dipping

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 - 8-oz. tubes crescent roll dough

32 cocktail franks (about one 14-oz. package)

1 tsp. poppy seeds

Preheat the oven to 375º. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Brush a 9-inch spring-form pan with a little of the melted butter. Brush the outside of an oven-proof 3-inch-diameter ramekin dish with melted butter and place it in the middle of the spring-form pan. Stir the honey mustard, paprika, and garlic powder into the remaining melted butter until smooth.

Unroll a tube of crescent roll dough. Press the perforated seams together. Repeat with the other tube of dough. Cut each sheet of dough into fourths crosswise and lengthwise to make 16 strips per sheet. Brush the strips with the mustard-butter mixture, reserving about 2 tablespoons for the top.

Roll each cocktail frank in a strip of dough. Arrange the franks standing up in 2 circles around the ramekin. Bake until the dough is puffy, 25 to 30 minutes. Brush with the reserved mustard-butter mixture and sprinkle with the poppy seeds. Continue baking until deep golden brown, 10 to 15 more minutes. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove the spring-form ring. Fill the ramekin with honey mustard for dipping.

Shrimp Cocktail

Total: 1 hr 30 min

Prep: 15 min

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

SHRIMP

1 lemon, halved

1 onion, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1 T. Old Bay Seasoning

1 bay leaf

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. black peppercorns

2 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined (thawed if frozen)

COCKTAIL SAUCE

1 c. ketchup

2 T. prepared horseradish

1 tsp. hot sauce

3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

For the shrimp: Fill a large pot with 8 cups cold water. Squeeze in the lemon juice, then add the lemon halves. Add the onion, garlic, Old Bay, bay leaf, salt and peppercorns and bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook for 20 minutes. Scoop out the solids and return the liquid to a simmer.

Fill a large bowl halfway with ice. Add 3 cups of water and place a smaller bowl inside (but don’t let the water get in the smaller bowl!).

Add the shrimp to the pot with the simmering liquid and stir, then cover and turn off the heat. Let sit until the shrimp are pink, curled and opaque throughout, 3 minutes for smaller shrimp and 4 minutes for larger shrimp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to the bowl set over the ice bath. Gently stir every few minutes to cool down the shrimp. Once they’re no longer steaming, put the shrimp on a platter and refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the cocktail sauce: Stir the ketchup, horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with the shrimp.

Quote of the Week:

“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.” 

~ Dale Evans